Deadweird's popularity comes from outlandish costumes

Vampires, ghosts and zombies aren't going to cut it if you plan to compete in this weekend's Deadweird costume contest. The annual event, now in its 15th year, is notorious for seeing unique and elaborate costumes wandering around the streets of Deadwood for the two-day costume event and monster ball. 

"Some of these people spend all year working on their costumes," said Sarah Anderson, event coordinator for the Deadwood Chamber and Visitor's Bureau. "They are over the top, and they are really, really great." 

The "E-Bowl-A" bowling team. Click to enlarge.	Team won top prize for humor in Deadwierd. Click to Enlarge.
A surrelistic view encountered in South Dakota by Tim. Click to enlarge.	Steve sent the shirts to set the stage for their costumes. Click to enlarge.
Merida, Wendy, Barb in "spooky" light. Click to enlarge.	Tim's most recent painting with daisies. Click to enlarge.

 

Deadwood's history as a murderous Wild West and gold mining town makes it a great fit for the event, Anderson said. That reputation has helped the event becoe a regional attraction, she said. 

"Deadwood has just grown to be a place where people want to be on Halloween," she said. "It's a central gathering place for all the crocks, freaks and monsters."  That includes over 100 people from Williston, North Dakota, who will pile into two buses to take part in the festivities. 

Cherry Creek Radio in Williston has been sponsoring bus trips to Deadweird since the event first began, said Michele Olson, the station's business manager. "There are a lot of reasons people like to go," she said. "Now it's to get out of Williston but also harvest is done with and people are looking to get away before the winter hits." The radio station begins selling tickets for the trip to Deadweird in September and most had been spoken for by mid-October, Olson said. 

"People like the big costumes and really like to see those," Olson said. "I don't even know how they create some of them because they are just so amazing."  Some of the most memorable and prize-winning costumes include Optimus Prime from Transformers, a group of cavemen, the Lego people, a dual Wizard of Oz wicked witch and good witch costume, and Hannibal Lecter in an electrical chair. 

The costume contest, which traditionally has been held at locations all over town, is being moved this year to the Deadwood Mountain Grand this to accommodate a bigger crowd and even larger costumes, Anderson said. 

"Some of the costumes are so large there are parts to them that you can't even get them in an elevator," she said. 

Organizers expect somewhere between 500 to 600 people to participate in the costume contest on Saturday and that represents just a portion of the people who will come to Deadwood for the Halloween weekend, Anderson said. 

The contest features numerous categories, including best group, scariest, funniest and an overall, she said. 

In total, around $8,000 in cash prizes will be given for the costume contest, which is a big reason that many people participate. 

Lisa Leonard and her husband, Rob, won the couple costume contest in 2011 with a rendition of the popular TV show "Swamp People." She said she hasn't been able to win since. 

"It's a very competitive event, and people take it really seriously," she said. 

The year Leonard and her husband won their costume was wired for lights and everything, she said. Leonard, 46, said she starts thinking about her costume in July and begins designing it in August. 

"What wins is not a store-bought costume. You have to have creativity and it has to be homemade," Leonard said. 

Come Oct. 31, Leonard will have put a lot of hours into her and her husband's costumes this year — Egyptian mummies with huge skulls made of fiberglass Styrofoam. 

Despite the competition, Leonard said the event is about producing something creative and fun while interacting with people who are oftentimes more imaginative than you'd think. 

"It's an event that you just have to attend, because there are so many costumes that you'd never even think of seeing, let alone creating," Leonard said. 

While the event has gotten bigger and bigger every year, Leonard said there were only about 100 people when it first started and then the city rallied around it.  Many of the city's establishments also host their own costume contests and entertainment during the weekend. The Franklin Hotel will hold its annual Monster Ball on Friday, which will give people a chance to view many of the costumes in the Deadweird costume contest, Anderson said. But there will be costumes and people everywhere, and every where you look you're bound to be surprised, Anderson said.